Manufacture of knitted ware true to shape



May 3, 1949. F. SEILR 2,459,134

MANUFACTURE OF KNITTED WARE TRUE To SHAPE' Filed June 25, 1946 Patented May 3, 1949 MANUFACTURE OF KNITTED WARE TRUE TO SHAPE Fritz Seiler, Auvernier, Switzerland, assgnor to Textile Researches Limited, Basel, Switzerland Application June 25, 1946, Serial No. 679,140 In Switzerland July 2, 1945 1 Claim.

Heretofore, correctly shaped knitted goods such as childrens hosiery and the like were knitted by associating together crosswise extending rows of loops. In that case shaped leg portions were produced by reducing or widening the edges of the goods or by altering the tightness of the loops; such operations however are inconvenient and time consuming.

Such methods cannot be directly practiced in a continuous and automatic manner on at knitting machines especially those used for the continuous mechanical fabrication of correctly or nished shaped knitted goods such as knockabout leggings and long childrens hosiery provided with ornamental eiects and reinforcements, but require complicated and unreliably operating arrangements or expensive manual operatlons.

It is also old in the art t cut; knitted articles from piece goods; however, difficulties are encountered in sewing the same and the seams produced are not durable.

It is the object of the invention to obviate the above recited drawbacks and to provide a method for producing llnal shaped knitted goods such as childrens hosiery, leggings and drawers and the like having ornamental effects or the like as well as reinforcements. To this end a left and a right knitted half of the article are automatically knitted by known operating means on a knitting machine, so as to produce rows of loops extending the entire length of the knitted piece as well as corresponding shorter rows of loops arranged, particularly toward their ends, to form tapering areas to serve for eiecting the special final shaping desired, and so as to produce patterns extending longitudinally of the piece.

By this means these knitted pieces are provided with solid edges which facilitate sewing and nishing of the knitted goods. It is also possible t0 constitute the ends of the knitted pieces either as a border or as a plain edge and to constitute it with or without rows of loops made of elastic thread.

Furthermore, patterns may also be provided extending in the direction of the seam and constituted in the form of ornamental eiects, knitted patterns, or plated patterns or the like,

The method of the invention will be explained for example by means of the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a pair of long childrens leggings or drawers with longitudinal striping and reinforcements,

Fig. 2 shows a leg portion of the garment illustrated in Fig. 1, as issued from a knitting machine.

In the drawing numeral I denotes the top edge, 4 the separating thread, 5 loop courses knitted lengthwise and extending the entire length of the garment, 6 denotes tapering loop courses arranged symmetrically about the central longitudinal axis of the garment to give the proper shape to the knitted ware, 'l are short loop courses of elastic thread worked into the edges I and 3, 8 are symmetrically arranged loop courses, some of which may extend the entire length of the garment, made in a color different from that of the remaining portion of the garment to provide an ornamental design, and 9 (shown by heavier lines) are reinforcements. The arrow A (Fig. 2) indicates the direction in which the knitted piece is being continuously made and in which it issues from the machine, and the arrows B indicate the directions in which the loop courses are formed.

During the knitting operation, the tapering areas 6 (groups of loops) are made in a known manner so as to make the leg portion in the prescribed correct final shape. The portions 9 are reinforced, as known, by introducing a second thread. By working a common or elastic thread into the edges l and 3, into loop courses 1, the leg portion is given an elastic closure at both ends for a good wearing t. After the knitted piece has been made up to a leg portion in the manner described, the separating thread 4 is introduced, whereupon a new leg portion is made in the manner described.

By known means for selecting the needles, the knitted pieces may "oe made with patterns, fancy and like effects, with or without longitudinal stripes 8 (Fig. l) and reinforcements 9.

The childrens leggings or drawers, or the like made according to the method described, are distinguished by solid edges. The sewing and finishing of the knitted ware thus is facilitated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent ist Method for producing nished shape knitted garments such as childerns drawers or the like, provided with ornamental eiects and reinforcements, comprising automatically knitting a left and a right half of the garment by producing rows of loops extending the entire length of the knitted piece and also shorter rows of loops arranged between other rows symmetrically with respect to the axis of the garment and forming areas of tapering shape and serving to effect the nal correct shaping desired, and so as to produce patterns extending longitudinallyI of the garment.

FRITZ SEILER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references areof, record. in the le of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Williams Oct, 1, 1889 Scott Mar. 4, 1890 Wilson May 14, 1935 Harris 1 Oct. 8, 1940 Hall Nov. 26, 1940 Basch Sept. 28, 1943 Silman Sept. 3, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 4, 1927 

